Lady Gaga Writes Essay About Womanhood in Donald Trump’s America

Lady Gaga supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and even performed at one of the candidate’s final campaign events. Since then, she has been vocal on social media about her disappointment with the outcome of the election, and now she has penned a heartfelt essay for Harper’s Bazaar about the deep pain this political cycle caused for women.

“Being a lady today means being a fighter,” she wrote. “It means being a survivor. It means letting yourself be vulnerable and acknowledging your shame or that you’re sad or you’re angry. It takes strength to do that.”

Gaga added that the attitudes expressed by president-elect Donald Trump and his supporters revealed a serious divide in America, particularly when it comes to our treatment of women.

“Here we are, in 2016, and the fact that the sort of language that was being used to talk about women was everywhere — on TV, in politics — was eye-opening,” Gaga wrote.

The pop star added that round condemnation from figures like Michelle Obama helped remind her that those fears and concerns for women were valid.

“I felt depressed and hurt by it because that’s what that kind of language does. Then I watched our incredible first lady, Michelle Obama, talk in New Hampshire about how hurt she felt seeing it too. She talked about how women are often afraid to say anything because we’re worried that we will appear weak—that we’ll be told we’re being over-the-top, dramatic, emotional. But we’re not. We’re fighting for our lives.”